Saturday, September 29, 2007

"I Want To Be Free": 9-Year-Old Canadian Citizen Pleads From Texas Immigration Jail

Kevin is nine years old. He's a Canadian citizen (Seeking Asylum in Canada) flying from Iran with his parents. They were flying over the United States, when the plane had to land in Puerto Rico because a passenger had a heart attack, and when they landed, the Majid family was taken off the flight ...taken to Hutto Detention Center. You Tube Video

HUTTO PRISON CONDITIONS: "You have a child who is sleeping in what was a jail cell for a maximum-security prison that has been converted, but they still leave the exposed toilet, you know, sitting in the middle of their room. There's no privacy. With other children, he's in a room separate from his parents. Now, but the door may be not locked at night, but that door is certainly shut, and it’s a steel heavy door. They are placed in a prison. There's no doubt that this is a prison. And what is particularly troubling about this is that this was designed for the purpose of holding families, yet they made a conscious decision to maintain the facility as a prison, to leave the barbed wire, to leave the doors, to leave the environment as a prison. "

The Hutto facility is run by CCA, the Corrections Corporation of America. In fact, the jail is named after CCA’s cofounder, T. Don Hutto. It is very clearly a PRISON that is being used to house inmates, and it has no resemblance to a home. I mean, there’s sofas. There are plastic sofas and TVs, but that’s about it. And one of the things that's very disturbing about this model that they’re using is that there are alternatives. As I mentioned before, there are pre-hearing release programs that could be used.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

I was driving home during rush hour traffic today. I was trying to hurry home. My husband left his bowling equipment in the car and he was bowling at 6. He called me about 4 and asked me to be home by 5:15. It takes me 40 minutes to drive home so I left right at 4:30.

I was midway through my drive in the heart of traffic and the toll road. Suddenly a red car alarm light went off. I looked at my gauges and saw my car was HOT! My husband had just added Antifreeze the night before so I could not imagine why my car was running hot. I remembered his words, "I was careful to even fill the overflow. You will be fine now." So why was my car saying it was hot?

This had been quite a day. The only day in history that I forgot my cell phone. Now, rushing home, the car alarm light blinking red and the water gauge saying HOT. I thought about trying to drive home with the HOT light on but decided against it. Ten years earlier I did that very thing in my trusty Cavalier. I think the mechanic said I "cracked my engine block" and it cost me $4000 to replace my engine.

I decided to take the next exit off the Toll Road. It was totally unfamiliar territory, but I saw a Firestone station about a block ahead and decided to turn into it.

I parked my car in front of one of the entryways. I rushed up to the lead mechanic. I think he was the lead mechanic because he was the one carrying a clip board. I pleaded, "Can you help me?" I must have looked pitiful and exasperated. He put down his clipboard and said, "What´s wrong?"

Excitedly I explained about my car gauges and not knowing what to do.

It was about 5:00, towards the end of their workday. All 5 mechanics came around to listen to my animated story. They all walked me to my car. The head mechanic lifted the hood. Suddenly it was as if all of the mechanics were frozen. I looked at them. I looked at the engine. There, next to the radiator was the radiator cap, laying neatly upside down on top of the radiator. The mechanics looked at me. I looked at them. We all looked back at the engine.

The words, "My husband just added antifreeze..." were still coming out of my mouth. They did not say a word, merely picked up the cap. I got it. I said, "You mean he didn´t put the cap back on and that´s why my car overheated?"

They looked at me and looked at me. I did not know what they were thinking. Finally the lead mechanic spoke. "Don´t worry. This happens all the time. We will help you but you gotta promise us one thing?"

"What?"

"You won´t yell at your husband."

I promised I would not.

The car was still overheated and wouldn´t take any antifreeze. They guided me into the waiting area and said not to worry. They would fill up the antifreeze as soon as the car cooled down.

About 20 minutes later, my car was all set. They filled up my antifreeze. They filled up the overflow. They filled up my windshield washer fluid.

They said, "There you go. You are all set."

I had my wallet in my hand. I asked, "How much do I owe you?"

The lead mechanic said, "That´s all right. Its on us." He signalled with his hand with a wave that I owed him nothing.

I was so touched by their act of kindness that I just looked and him. I nodded and mouthed, "Thank you!" I touched my heart twice and sent him my heart. He understood and nodded. As we caught eyes, the eyes of the young mechanic, my motherly eyes glistened a tear in thank you.

For some reason, I don´t know why, I cried all the way home.

I kept thinking, "People can be so wonderful."

These 5 young men were so nice to me. They took care of me. They didn´t know me.These young men were not rich. They were all American. They were of multi cultural ethnicities. They warmed my heart. They reminded me that people can be and are wonderful and there is hope for our country and for our world!

A 15-hour "documentary" about Americans and World War II, to be broadcast by PBS in September 2007, initially excluded any mention of Latino heroes who fought to defend the United States from its enemies. After much public pressure, producer Ken Burns agreed to include interviews with Latinos and hired a Latino documentary producer. Subsequently, the new material added up to interviews with two Latino WWII Marines, and one Native American WWII veteran -- a total of 28 minutes.But will it be meaningful? Defend the Honor is concerned that the new material was added simply to silence critics, and does not address the unique WWII Latino experience. For instance, in a major national meeting with the Television Critics Association on July 18, the critics were provided, in advance, boxed DVDs of the series -- minus the new material on Latinos and a Native American. Without access to the new material, television critics could not evaluate it and ask questions in open forum at their meeting with Ken Burns, associate producer Lynn Novick and PBS CEO and President Paula Kerger. Burns comments, as reported throughout the country, indicated he saw the issue of Latinos being omitted from the documentary as a "political" issue which he was able to "rise above."About the Protests:Four protests of the documentary are planned at local PBS stations Sunday in California; a Capitol rally is to be held in Austin, Texas; others will hold exhibits, commemoration days and panel discussions in their cities. Some events have already been held and others will continue through the month. Organizers said they want to inform people that Hispanics who fought discrimination and racism at home served valiantly in the war and on the homefront.

More:Eighty-seven year-old Carlos Alvarez remembers his first experience of war, when he dodged the bullets of Japanese gunners and airplanes in the Philippine jungles during World War II. Now, 60-plus years later, he's on the front lines of a media war pitting grassroots Latino groups against the multimillion-dollar guns of PBS, its corporate sponsors and legendary filmmaker, Ken Burns. Since learning that "The War" initially excluded him and the more than 500,000 other Latinos who fought, were injured or died in World War II, Alvarez says he was "upset but not surprised" by what he calls "Mr. Burns negligence for omitting the Hispanic WW II experience." Rather than fume about it, he and other friends in Brawley, CA collected money and took out a full page ad in their local newspaper. The former Private First Class, in the Army's 7Th Cavalry's Troop G, hopes that his campaign would "make people think and realize World War II was not fought and won solely by white males."

Though "The War" now includes 28 minutes of footage of two Latino veterans, most major leaders of Latino organizations, members of the Congressional Hispanic Congress and a constellation of grassroots groups across the country remain dissatisfied.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Here we go again!! Last month, I wrote about a "White Power" - Spanish Class incident. This month, a little Hispanic Legal child whose family immigrated from Honduras was talking to her friend, non-chalantly in Spanish and a paranoid schoolmate beats her up and scars her face.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The Turner School District and police are investigating whether a conversation in Spanish led to the beating of a 15-year-old girl. Susan Borjas said she spoke Spanish to a friend on a school bus on Thursday. Susan said she was threatened and then attacked by a girl she didn't know. "She started screaming at me, saying, why am I speaking Spanish?" Susan told KMBC's Maria Antonia.

Are these people being Carefully Taught by their parents? (What a coincindence she shares the same last name as Prof Borjas. Maybe they are related. What do you say Prof Borjas?)

This is why the Official English bill will NOT pass. Too many people will misunderstand and beat up people who have these very innocent chats with their friends. We need to stop teaching all of this anger.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

In 2008, Arizona´s tough, new anti-immigration law signed in June by Gov. Janet Napolitano goes into effect. This law puts at risk Arizona businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. These laws are so severe for business that knowingly or intentionally failing to VERIFY citizenship will cause the employer’s business licenses to be suspended. A second offense can result in the business being put out of business, or as some call it, the "business Death Penalty."

Arizona business owners will be REQUIRED to use the U.S. government’s automated system to verify employee citizenship. The automated system that Arizona businesses will have to use starting next year is known as the Basic Pilot Project or BPP. BPP was made available as a voluntary program in all 50 states beginning in July 2004, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

I am personally asking all illegal immigrants to LEAVE ARIZONA as soon as possible. Start packing today and leave now.If possible, you may want to return to your country of origin. If it is not possible, then move to New Mexico. Gov Richardson has decried the border fence. "The Congress should abandon the fence, lock, stock and barrel," Richardson said Thursday in a speech at Georgetown University laying out a four-part plan for immigration overhaul. "It flies in the face of America as a symbol of freedom."

I also suggest all PRO Immigration Reform supporters leave Arizona as soon as possible. If for nothing else, do this on principle. Move to New Mexico or Las Vegas. There are plenty of jobs in both places, housing costs are down, the climate is similar to AZ.

Let´s try this grand experiment. Call it a boycott if you will. Let Arizona build their wall from border to border, first a wall between AZ and MX. Then a wall between AZ and CA. Next a wall between AZ and NM.

Bring in the Minutemen to help you build the fence. They are already patrolling for free. The PROs can sell their homes at cost to the MMs. Bring in Simcox and Schwilke from San Diego. Bring in Tancredo and Gilchrist. Bring in William (from the alleycats) and while you are at it, bring in David Duke and others from the extremist ANTI crowds.

If Napolitano is successful, she will achieve her thriving Mayberrian culture and economy the ANTIs frequently talk about. AZ will serve as a role model to other states. Water and clean air will fill the lungs of the pale Northern European cultural ANTIs. No Spanish will touch the corners of their ears. No "Anchor Babies." McDonalds and Wal-Mart will pay $20 an hour to the elderly and students. The crops will be harvested and picked by teams of former auto workers being paid $30 an hour. It will be a Mayberrian Wonderland to serve as a role model for all the world to see!!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

I came across this interesting article today. It looks like there are a number of questionable special interest groups that are convincing Mexican & Haitian Illegal Workers to take flight to Windsor (as a Michigan girl, I know Windsor is "across the street" from Detroit). Will the Exploitation of these people Never End?

Over the past three weeks, 45 families and 31 individuals—approximately 200 people—entered Canada at the Detroit River crossings and applied in Windsor for shelter and social assistance after filing refugee claims with the Canada Border Services Agency. Municipal agencies dealing with the sudden influx of mainly Mexican refugee applicants are renting out hotel rooms and bracing for predicted thousands more to come.

“I don’t believe that Windsor’s residents and taxpayers should have to foot the bill for U.S. immigration policy,” said Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis .

With the bulk of the latest arrivals being long-time Mexican illegals dislodged from their homes and workplaces in southwestern Florida, fingers are being pointed at unscrupulous outfits charging money and then directing desperate individuals and their families toward the Windsor border crossing.“We are aware of these operations—they have been advertising incorrect and false information,” said Marina Wilson, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Wilson said Canadian immigration authorities have started contacting the Mexican and Haitian communities in Florida, as well as local media there, to get the word out that nothing has changed in Canadian refugee policy.

But a group operating out of Naples, Fla., vowed to continue sending the so-called economic refugees to Windsor.

“They ask, ‘Is Canada an option?’ and I say, ‘Yes, it is an option,’“ Jacques Sinjuste of the Jerusalem Haitian Community Center said in a phone interview Wednesday. For a US$300 “donation” (most of those interviewed in Windsor claim they paid US$400), JHCC staff download forms off the Internet, help applicants fill them out and give directions on how to get to the Canadian border.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

One of the newer commentors on my blog uses the screen name "Rick Monday." He is not the real RM, the famous Chitown athlete. Our Rick is a thoughtful commenter although he is on the ANTI side.

This brings to mind something I´ve noticed about people who participate in these discussions. Most PROs and ANTIs are thoughtful people who have heard or read about the Immigration issues our country is experiencing, have strong opinions and post their views on the internet.

I´ve been participating in these discussions since May of 2006. Over the months, I have formed a rating scale of PROs and ANTIs. I rate them from 1 - 10.

I view Rick as a 6. He cares about the issue. He leans toward the ANTI side but is willing to listen and discuss the issues. Sometimes he changes his mind. That´s a good thing.

I think the majority of Americans fall in the 5 - 6 range.

As more people study the issues, more and more will fall into this Middle Ground.

Maybe Comprehensive Immigration Reform is possible as more and more people educate themselves, study Immigration History, Current Events, participate on blogs and make up their own minds vs listening to various pundits with an agenda on TV or AM Radio.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

As usual, I have been perusing the News Articles, OpEds and Blogs around the country. I´ve been noticing a change. There are a significantly higher number of PROs.

From Blogs to news articles, more and more reporters, commentators and Bloggers are preaching the PRO Comprehensive Immigration Reform perspective.

I knew this day would come!! Truth and Justice always have a way of reaching the surface and staying on top as the other side flails in the winds of corruption and dishonesty.

Here is an example from Business Week:Immigration policy should facilitate the movement of people, just as trade policy facilitates the movement of goods. From an economic perspective, this is a no-brainer. Right now, there are massive differences across countries in the rewards that skills garner. According to a new paper from Mark Rosenzweig, an economist at Yale, immigrants to the U.S. who are high school graduates earn far more than they did in their home countries. The same is true for college grads. An immigrant from Mexico with a college degree can earn almost 10 times more in the U.S. compared with what he or she would receive in Mexico.

In such a world, an open immigration policy produces massive gains to trade, as people move to countries that can make the best use of their skills and pay them accordingly. It's unambiguously good for the overall global economy if an entrepreneurial Mexican or Chinese can move to the U.S. and start a new business. Similarly, it's good that an ambitious and smart young Russian or Indian can move to the U.S., go to business school, and become a hot-shot consultant or an investment banker, either in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Such a world of open borders would mimic, on a larger scale, the situation that already exists within the U.S. People can move long distances from one part of the country to another, chasing better jobs and higher pay. Florida and Arizona do not erect barriers saying, "No more immigrants from the Midwest." Instead, they welcome them and even boast about the number of people moving to their states as a driving force for growth.What are the objections to such an open-borders policy? The obvious one is that letting in a higher number of immigrants would drive down wages. However, economist David Card, of the University of California at Berkeley, has shown that there's little evidence that pay has gone down significantly in cities with large immigration populations (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/08/06, "The Economic Case For Legalizing Illegals").

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One more note: I´m giving a shout out to our friends at Tony´s of Kansas City and KC Blue Blog, two PRO Blogs rated number 1 and 6 most influential Blogs in Missouri. Tony was gracious enough to recommend my blog to many other sites during my opening in May. Thank you Tony!!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Martin´s Remark: "I'll tell you what's available, is every frigging developer can figure out who is illegal, and when he says — like he told them — there's a bunch of Mexicans out there, I guess some of them are probably not legal"Hispanic Citizen Response: "Martin's comment showed a "xenophobic mentality" that results in racial profiling."Commision Liaison Torres´ letter to Gov Blunt, "deeply offended by Martin's remark."I am the proud grandson of Mexican immigrants who came to this country to provide a better life for their family and unlimited opportunities for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren," Torres wrote to Blunt. He said his family served the country during World War II and the Korean War. He asked that Martin issue a public apology."My response: Calling Hispanic citizens "a bunch of Mexicans" certainly sounds like racial profiling to me. Martin should apologize! It is clear Blunt is using this issue to gain votes by any means necessary. The ANTI sites are already cheering Martin. Shameful!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

All, I´ve summarized Sec. Chertoff´s testimony before the Senate for you so you can quickly review it. If you want to study the longer version, access the link. Please note the sections on Border Security and Results. Please comment with your perspective on his Testimony.

Because the focus of this hearing is threats to our homeland, my testimony will highlight only the first three goals: preventing dangerous people and dangerous cargo from entering our country, and protecting critical infrastructure.1. Protecting Against Dangerous Peoplea. Passenger Screening: info electronically gathered thru Advance Passenger Information System (APIS)b. Secure Identification: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) includes - As of January 23, 2007, citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda seeking to enter or re-enter the United States from within the Western Hemisphere must present a valid passport or acceptable alternative document. Beginning January 31, 2008, we will also end the acceptance of oral declarations alone at the border and require U.S. and Canadian citizens to present either a WHTI-compliant document or government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license, and proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. Fully implementing WHTI in 2008: travelers will need WHTI-compliant documents – a passport, a passport card, a NEXUS card for land and sea border crossings. We also continue to work with states to enhance the security of driver’s licenses under the REAL ID Act.c. Border Security: remain committed to effective border security to prevent the illegal entry of people between our ports of entry. Increased the size of the Border Patrol from 9,000 agents in 2001 to 14,500 agents today. Deploy thousands of National Guard forces to support construction of new fencing and vehicle barriers, with a target of 370 miles of fencing and 300 miles of vehicle barriers by the end of next year. We have installed high-tech cameras and sensors, and deployed unmanned aerial vehicles as part of SBInet. We have expanded CBP air and marine branches to increase our coverage of the border. We have established Border Enforcement Security Task Forces to work collaboratively with state and local partners to fight criminal activity in border cities. And we have developed an Intelligence Campaign Plan for Border Security to provide comprehensive intelligence support for our operations.RESULT: we have seen significant decreases in apprehensions – down 21 percent overall along our southern border, and in some sectors down as much as 68 percent – reflecting decreased flowdue to stepped-up security. While we will never be able to hermetically seal our border, our efforts have strengthened our ability to keep dangerous people out of the country and have made our nation safer.2. Protecting Against Dangerous Cargoa. Overseas Inspectionb. Radiological and Nuclear Detection3. Protecting Critical InfrastructureWhether our aim is protecting boats, bridges, or other critical infrastructure, we cannot do so effectively without strong partnerships with private sector owners and operators of our nation’s critical infrastructure.a. Sector Specific Plans: 17 Sector Specific Plans of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. Roadmap for working with private sector to assess vulnerabilities in our nation’s infrastructure, set priorities, measure our effectiveness, and ensure accountability. This is the first time in our nation's history that the government and the private sector have come together on such a large scale – across our entire economy – to develop a joint plan to reduce risk and protect key assets and resources. It is a tremendous milestone for our Department, the private sector, and the American peopleb. Aviation Security: add additional layers of security to protect the traveling publicc. Improvised Explosive Devicesd. Chemical Securitye. Biological Securityf. Cyber Security4. Sharing Information and IntelligenceEffective information collection, analysis, and sharing. a. Office of Intelligence and Analysisb. State and Local Fusion Centersc. Closed Circuit Television: States and cities have taken the lead in developing information and intelligence fusion centers with important support from our Department, including more than $300 million in grant funding. But another important counter-terrorism tool we continue to support is the development and deployment of closed circuit television (CCTV) systems. (Big Brother?)d. National Applications Office5. Working as One TeamOur value as a Department rests in our network of assets and people, and our ability to leverage that network to achieve integration and work effectively with our federal, state, and local partners.6. ConclusionI believe the reason there have been no additional attacks against our homeland is because we’ve successfully raised our level of protection and we’ve succeeded in frustrating the aims of our enemies. That’s not to say our efforts have been flawless or that our work is done. On the contrary, we must move forward aggressively to build on our success to keep pace with our enemies.

Bernanke has told us time and time again that the 12M have allowed us in the USA to avoid a Recession.

Now, according to Wall Street, we are embarking on a Recession.

I am saying it here and now.

The immigrants (legal and illegal) from Latin America, the workers, have allowed us in our country, our USA, to avoid a Recession and a Depression.

Now, due to the anger, the rhetoric, the Xenophia, we, in the USA, are on the brink of a Recession and future Depression.

We need to Re-Think the Immigration Dilemma we are in.We need to STOP all the ANGER.We need to talk, discuss, establish Comprehensive Immigration Reform recommmedations and develop a Solution... A Bill we can ALL agree upon.

Let´s bring the 12M Out of the Shadows.Let´s either put them in a Guest Worker Program or Path to Citizenship.Let´s Compromise!!!!Stop the Rhetoric. Stop the Red Faced Anger!!!

Unite America!! Unite!!Let´s develop a Comprensive Immigration Reform recommendation we can ALL Live with!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Author Orson Scott Card wrote a brilliant article about what would happen if the ANTIs get their wish re: Mass Deportation

Ethnic Cleansing or "Amnesty"by Orson Scott CardAugust 30, 2007So the election grows closer, and it's time to satisfy all those people who have been demanding that we put a stop to illegal immigration. The failure of the so-called "amnesty bill" leaves the government no choice other than expulsion of anyone without papers.The National Guard is activated and the city and state police forces are nationalized. Sweeps of Hispanic neighborhoods round up all the Spanish-speaking people with brown skin and sort them out according to who has the right documentation.Six million of them are found to be illegal immigrants.They are loaded into buses, trucks, cattle cars and transported to the Mexican border....Our culture has always tolerated thousands and millions of people who spoke other languages and clung together in memory of the old country. And then, a few generations later, we were all Americans together. Your fear of these immigrants merely shows your complete ignorance of American history."Hyphenate us all you want," the arrogant liberal continues, "go to whatever ethnic pride parades you want, but we're all Americans. We changed each other – the Irish, the Italians, the Germans, the Black slaves, the Russian Jews, the Chinese, the Japanese, they all came here and changed the way we talk and think and dress and sing and dance and read and write and it was always still America. Until now.""What do you mean, until now?""Because it's time to take down the Statue of Liberty, sir. We no longer accept the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We no longer lift a lamp beside the golden door. The door is steel, and we've shut it tight. This isn't America anymore.""That's treasonous!""No, sir, you are the traitor. You're the one who declared that America was no longer a nation built around an idea, which accepted all who embraced that idea. Now it's just like any other nation on Earth. It stands for nothing except for holding on to what we've got and making sure there's no room for the people most desperate to come and join us.""They didn't want to live under our laws!""Yes they did. All we had to do was change a law that made far less sense than the traffic laws Americans break or bend all the time! If you make breathing a crime, then yes, all the breathers are criminals, but the people who made the laws are the stupid ones.""How dare you! We're the ones who wanted to keep America American!""America is a nation that thrived because of a constant infusion of eager new citizens. You have closed the door against the best and bravest of them. You have cut off the lifeblood.""At least we're still speaking English!""That's right," says the fuzzy-headed liberal. "It takes a lot of brains and determination to learn to speak two languages fluently. We kicked out six million people who were willing to try to do that. And what we have left is ... you."

CELAYA, Mexico — Steve Scaroni, a farmer from California, looked across a luxuriant field of lettuce here in central Mexico and liked what he saw: full-strength crews of Mexican farm workers with no immigration problems.

Farming since he was a teenager, Mr. Scaroni, 50, built a $50 million business growing lettuce and broccoli in the fields of California, relying on the hands of immigrant workers, most of them Mexican and many probably in the United States illegally.

But early last year he began shifting part of his operation to rented fields here. Now some 500 Mexicans tend his crops in Mexico, where they run no risk of deportation.

“I’m as American red-blood as it gets,” Mr. Scaroni said, “but I’m tired of fighting the fight on the immigration issue.”

A sense of crisis prevails among American farmers who rely on immigrant laborers, more so since immigration legislation in the United States Senate failed in June and the authorities announced a crackdown on employers of illegal immigrants. An increasing number of farmers have been testing the alternative of raising crops across the border where there is a stable labor supply, growers and lawmakers in the United States and Mexico said.

Western Growers, an association representing farmers in California and Arizona, conducted an informal telephone survey of its members in the spring. Twelve large agribusinesses that acknowledged having operations in Mexico reported a total of 11,000 workers here.

“It seems there is a bigger rush to Mexico and elsewhere,” said Tom Nassif, the Western Growers president, who said Americans were also farming in countries in Central America.Precise statistics are not readily available on American farming in Mexico, because growers seek to maintain a low profile for their operations abroad. But Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, displayed a map on the Senate floor in July locating more than 46,000 acres that American growers were cultivating in just two Mexican states, Guanajuato and Baja California. “Farmers are renting land in Mexico,” Ms. Feinstein said. “They don’t want us to know that.”She predicted that more American farmers would move to Mexico for the ready work force and lower wages. Ms. Feinstein favored a measure in the failed immigration bill that would have created a new guest worker program for agriculture and a special legal status for illegal immigrant farm workers.

In the past, some Americans have planted south of the border to escape spiraling land prices and to ensure year-round deliveries of crops they can produce only seasonally in the United States. But in the last three years, Mr. Nassif and other growers said, labor force uncertainties have become a major reason farmers have shifted to Mexico.

While there are benefits for Mexico, as American farmers bring the latest technology and techniques to its crop-producing regions, American farm state economists say thousands of middle-class jobs supporting agriculture are being lost in the United States. Some lawmakers in the United States also point to security risks when food for Americans is increasingly produced in foreign countries.

This will lead to severe labor shortages in some industries and eventually weaken the overall economy, they contend.

"It's a disaster for us," says Craig Silvertooth, a lobbyist for the National Roofing Contractors Association.

...

The new regulation, combined with the stiffer penalties, will lead to widespread layoffs and discrimination against Hispanic workers, business lobbyists predict.

"People are going to get scared," says Laura Reiff, an immigration attorney at Greenberg Traurig's McLean, Va., office and co-chair of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition.Many workers will just walk off the job when they are told there is a problem with their Social Security number, she adds.

"It's going to have a dramatic impact on the workforce," Reiff says.That's just what many anti-immigration groups are looking for.

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Blog Mission

A PRO Forum where people, both PRO and ANTI, can discuss American Immigration Issues and Political Issues civilly, freely and safely thereby reducing the hate, anger and misunderstandings currently inherent in most of these discussions.

About This Blog

This Blog promotes the discussion of opinions of the Blog Owner and commenters who wish to participate in the discussion about Immigration Issues and Political Issues.

Many blog entries contain details from actual news articles and urls are included for reader reference.

In some instances, individuals referenced in the blog are defendants who may be coming to trial or whose trial is in progress. All defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

It should be noted by all Blog Readers and this is to officially confirm that for all articles on this blog where court cases have not been ruled upon, the word ALLEGED is inserted prior to the defendants name/crime.

MY BOOKS

About Me

Hello. My name is Dee. I live in Texas. I am an American. My ethnicity is Hispanic. Many would call me Mexican or Mexican American. Some call me a female, PRO-Immigration Reform - Ann Coulter.
My parents, their parents and theirs were all born in the USA.
My husband and I have been happily married for over 20 years. My husband is a big, Irish-American. We have two grown sons. We are happy and my family is doing well. I have been employed as a mid level manager at a very large, well known corporation for over 25 years, now recently retired.
In May, 2006, after the Immigration Marches, I started seeing the cable news channels talking very negatively about illegal immigration. I found many internet sites were talking negatively about legal and illegal immigration issues as well.
Since I do research on the job, I started conducting Immigration research on the web. I joined several Immigration websites and I researched others. I´ve learned so much about Immigration issues over the last year.
What you don´t see on the internet is the Mexican American perspective.
I am here to share my views with you.